I wrote an essay on M*A*S*H for a useless English class I’m in. This site has also not been updated for four days. Therefore…

The distinction between high culture and popular culture often blurs, as objects which begin their existence in obscurity become integrated within the popular milieu. Likewise, that which unexpectedly bursts into the popular consciousness can just as easily fade from memory. Few entities which make the transition from popular culture to high culture, or vice versa, rarely shift back, but M*A*S*H, in all its myriad forms, from novels, major motion pictures, and television programs, continually shifts between being a work of popular culture and one of high culture. From an obscure novel to a moderately successful and critically acclaimed movie, and a television show which up until recently had been all but forgotten by the majority of television viewers, M*A*S*H is a work which refuses to die.

Originally published in 1968 to critical acclaim, Dr. Richard Hooker’s semi-autobiographical novel, M*A*S*H, follows the comic exploits of a trio of surgeons drafted into a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital during the Korean War. Though the novel initially received positive reviews, and has since been compared to Joseph Heller’s Catch-22, the novel was not an immediate commercial success. The absurd humor and social commentary which saturated the book, most of which directly targeted the U.S. military, managed to remain unpopular even during the one of the most politically turbulent periods of American History. Hooker’s attempt to vocalize a nation’s fear and mistrust over the Vietnam War through his highly satirical novel were lost on the general public. As a result, Hooker’s novel was left to drift aimlessly in obscurity, recognized only by critics as a worthwhile text.

Robert Altman’s film adaptation of the novel faired much better, earning $81.6 million dollars and its place as one of the top ten grossing movies of 1970. The film was also nominated for five academy awards, but only managed to secure the Oscar for best adapted screenplay. Whereas the novel was unable to break into the mainstream, garnering praise only from critics, the film was quick to secure its place in popular culture, thanks largely to a direct military decree stating that all enlisted men and women were forbidden to see the movie. Most people will go great distances to acquire something they have been told they cannot have, and military personal flocked to the theaters in droves to see Altman’s anti-military, satirical comedy. Although the film quickly integrated M*A*S*H into popular culture, it just as quickly returned the body of work to a high culture-only status, lost to the populace in the shadow of larger war films of the same year such as Patton and Tora! Tora! Tora! Though it occasionally shows up in critics’ top film lists, and holds a place on a shelf in nearly every video store, the movie rarely receives any airtime on television and is remembered and respected as a film classic only by film enthusiasts. The general population is quick to point out other, larger budget, approachable war films along the lines of Apocalypse Now and 1970�s Patton in place of M*A*S*H as fondly remembered wartime narratives.

When the television series of the same name first aired on September 17, 1972, the film had long since faded from popular culture�s memory and was not enough ensure to the program’s success, despite the changes which had been made. In an effort to sanitize the work for a mainstream audience, many of the aspects of the film were downplayed, as the film’s dark comedy was thrown aside for a more traditional, sitcom approach and the lyrics to the opening song, Suicide is Painless, were removed in an attempt to broaden the show�s appeal. However, the series still finished its first season on CBS at 46th in the ratings. It wasn’t until the summer after the series’ first season that M*A*S*H begin to pick up steam, attracting viewers uninterested in other network’s rerun programming. M*A*S*H remained one of the top ten rated programs for nine of its next ten seasons, lasting nearly four times as long as the war on which the series was based, and remaining extremely popular throughout its eleven year run. The series was unquestionably a part of mainstream popular culture, spawning numerous action figures, board and video games, and even its own line of M*A*S*H-themed beer. Besides tie-in merchandise, the series also gave way to several short lived spin-off series, including Dr. Trapper, M.D., W*A*L*T*E*R, and After M*A*S*H, but none of them managed to repeat the success of their parent series.

As the show’s popularity increased, the series began to draw fire for its anti-military sentiment. However, it was this very theme which accounted for much of M*A*S*H’s popularity. As the war in Vietnam drew to a close and public opinion continued to move against the war, M*A*S*H’s anti-war themes struck a cord with viewers, the majority of which were beginning to share, or already shared, these same ideals. For most people, the series’ anti-war stance was not a deterrent to watch, as opposing the war had become an integral part of the popular culture of the time. Even supposedly objective news anchors, including CBS’ own Walker Cronkite, had publicly expressed their objections to the war as Larry Gelbart, one of M*A*S*H’s producers famously asked, “If Walter Cronkite [can] be against the war on the news at 6, then why [can't] we at 8 or 8:30?” The question was a moot point as television viewers sat firmly glued to their television sets. The combination of a cleaner, and much less edgy version of M*A*S*H, in conjecture with the still present, if slightly less offensive, anti-war stance, propelled M*A*S*H into an uncontested position in popular culture. However, as time passed and the Vietnam War, along with the public’s stance against it, became nothing but a memory, the series slowly grew stale, and after 251 episodes CBS finally honorably discharged M*A*S*H.

The series ended on one final high note before drifting back into obscurity. The series’ two-and-a-half hour long finale, titled Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen was viewed by over 125 million Americans, 77% of all television viewers that night. To this day the episode remains the single most watched non-sporting event on television. But as the years passed, and the impact of Vietnam died away, M*A*S*H was again forgotten. Richard Hooker wrote twelve more M*A*S*H novels in an attempt to capitalize on the series’ success, all of which were moderate commercial successes. Ultimately the television series dwindled on in syndication, airing while most American viewers were asleep, remembered by a select few not as a classic television comedy, but as a ground-breaking, innovative, and award winning series with strong political messages. While most television viewers found new enjoyment from shows such as Cheers or The Cosby Show, only a few continued to support and discuss M*A*S*H. With the advent of the Internet, small fan sites began to sprout up across cyberspace as fans found an outlet through which to discuss the finer intellectual points of the series and swap old video recordings of their favorite episodes. While the series was no longer popular, it was far from dead, remaining alive in the hearts and minds of the few loyal fans who saw the series as more than an ordinary sitcom. But just like the wounded soldiers whose lives were so easily saved at the hands of Hawkeye and Trapper, M*A*S*H 4077’s star surgeons, so was M*A*S*H about to receive some much needed resuscitation.

As television writers who watched M*A*S*H in their youth came of age, the series became a popular parody on numerous television programs with younger target audiences. M*A*S*H found parody on successful FOX television shows such as The Simpsons and Family Guy, exposing a new generation to the series and reminding viewers who had enjoyed the show of their fond memories of the series. When Twentieth Century FOX released the first season of M*A*S*H on DVD in 2002 as part of a celebration of the show�s thirtieth anniversary, sales soared. The DVD collection remained one of amazon.com’s top ten best selling items for months and even today remains one of the most sought-after items the website offers, managing to remain in the website’s top 3,000 a full two years after its original release. Newer seasons have likewise repeated the first season’s success. While new audiences were able to find relatable content in the series, so were old fans able to experience their favorite moments all over again. However, the political aspects of the show, specifically the series’ strong anti-war sentiment, were no longer the driving aspects of the series’ popularity. Original viewers were able to watch the series for its intrinsic nostalgic value whereas the newer viewers were drawn not to a series which captures their feelings concerning a war most of them know only through history classes, but by the strength of the series’ narratives and characters. With the DVD release M*A*S*H merchandise is quickly making its way back into the mainstream, as mouse pads, trivia games, and non-fiction books concerning the series find their way to consumers. After two decades, M*A*S*H is making a comeback and reintegrating itself back into the popular consciousness.

This entity which has existed as both high culture and popular culture for nearly forty years, continually shifting between the two, is once again returning to the mainstream. How long it will remain there is anyone’s guess, but with FOX releasing two complete seasons on DVD a year, the series will remain a part of popular culture for at least three more years to come. Though it may drift back into obscurity once more as the final season sees release, and become a topic for intellectuals and academics once again, one thing is certain: the multimedia entity which is M*A*S*H will once again work its way back into popular culture. It’s only a matter of time.